Here are my top picks from the March 31 Vintages Release. You can also get all 77 of my Best Value Wines and Top Rated Wines for red, white, rose, sparkling and dessert wines that encompass many price points, styles and regions. I’ve also already posted my picks for April 14.
You can also add my wine picks to your custom shopping list by clicking on the little shopping cart icon. Stock up for the weekend, then enjoy!
Natalie
Zuccardi Chardonnay, Argentina
A terrific, lovely white with floral and white peach notes. No heavy oak. Summer day wine. Drink: 2012-2015. 262097 $14.95 Score: 89/100. Best Value White Wine
Love it: beautiful and exotic with white floral notes. Drink: 2012-2015. 954644 13% $24.95 Score: 91/100. Top Rated White Wine
Cave Spring Gewürztraminer, Ontario
Perfect gewurz, especially at this price! Gorgeous aromas of lychee, rose petal and a hint of spices. Great for Asiana and spicy dishes. Exotic and fantastic. 302059 $17.95 Score: 91/100. Best Value White Wine
Castello Della Cervaro Della Sala,Italy
I adore the hazelnut and toasted almond richness of this wine. Then it brightens like a sun shaft through clouds and you get the bright green apple vibrancy that pierces, satisfies and soothes. Drink: 2012-2015. 512376 $54.35 Score: 94/100. Top Rated White Wine
Momo Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand
Lemongrass and chives and herbal notes but not too grassy. Lovely refreshment and brightness. Great food wine. Drink: 2012-2014. 9167 $17.95 Score: 89/100. Best Value White Wine
Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Chardonnay, California
A full-bodied Cal chard, with classic aromas of toasted almond, hazelnut, green and toasty oak. Drink: 2012-2016. 54585 $37.95 Score: 90/100. Top Rated White Wine
Very balanced with lovely fleshy dark plums, smoke and a dry, chalky finish. Lots of layers of enjoyment here with a medium- to full-bodied weight. Drink: 2012-2015. 261586 $14.95 Score: 88/100. Best Value Red Wine
Gotham Old Vine Salmagundi Wineinc, Australia
Absolutely delicious! Stunning intensity and brightness of flavour. Rich dark plums roll over your tongue followed by a caress of smoke and spice. It’s like the happy ending to a bedtime wine story. Drink: 2012-2016. 265942 $29.95 Score: 94/100. Top Rated Red Wine
Mount Langi Ghiran Shiraz Billi Billi, Australia
Rich and luscious with terrific intensity. A core of black cherry runs through the heart of this dark wine. Ultra-satisfying and hedonistic. Drink: 2012-2016. 719575 $17.95 Score: 92/100. Top Rated Red Wine
Tyrrell’s Shiraz Rufus Stone, Australia
I love this shiraz, even as I watched its price increase rapidly due to popularity. It’s rich and round with warm, inviting aromas of fleshy black plums. A lovely acidity brightens the middle. Some kind of wonderful. Drink: 2012-2016. 91488 $19.95 Score: 92/100. Top Rated Red Wine
Cedarcreek Pinot Noir, British Columbia
Big bright red and black cherries on the nose with some spice and cedar mingling in. Luscious and mouth-watering with terrific balance. Very new World fruity style. Drink: 2012-2016. 273482 $31.95 Score: 91/100. Top Rated Red Wine
Falernia Carmenère Reserva, Chile
Blackberry and purple plum liqueur richness and concentration. Full-bodied and smooth with terrific richness. Drink: 2012-2015. 269175 $16.95 Score: 89/100. Best Value Red Wine
Fantastic! Oh tripe yum. Savoury, juicy and meaty with seductive and slippery black cherries wrapped in cedar smoke. Layers and layers of pleasure. Drink: 2012-2017. 142802 $22.95 Score: 94/100. Top Rated Red Wine
Gérard Bertrand Syrah Grenache Minervois, France
Rustic and cedary with tart black cherries. Tasty and full-bodied. Will benefit from 2 hours decanting before drinking. Drink: 2012-2015. 952804 $15.95 Score: 87/100. Best Value Red Wine
Monte Del Frà Valpolicella, Italy
Dry and chalky with pleasing aromas of dark fruit and sun-dried tomatoes. Terrific for most Italian dishes. Drink: 2012-2016. 165662 $15.95 Score: 88/100. Best Value Red Wine
Taurino Riserva Salice Salentino, Italy
Peppery with dark spices and black fruit. Savoury, meaty and full-bodied with juicy smooth layers of pleasure. Pair with hearty meat dishes and meat lovers’ pizza. Drink: 2012-2015. 177527 $14.95 Score: 89/100. Best Value Red Wine
Aldiano Montepulciano D’abruzzo, Italy
Phenomenal for the price! Juicy, black and brooding with enticing toasty oak on the nose. Full-bodied and smooth with a lusciousness that’s wonderful with hearty meat dishes. Drink: 2012-2017. 51706 $17.95 Score: 90/100. Best Value Red Wine
Monsanto Chianti Classico, Italy
Smokey and dry with incredibly mouth-watering layers of dark berries. Complex, long, deep and lovely with full-bodied richness and loads of cellar potential. Decant for 2 hour. Drink: 2013-2020. 719864 $29.95 Score: 93/100. Top Rated Red Wine
Flagstone Cabernet Sauvignon, South Africa
Mocha seduction followed by a fleshy blackberry caress. Full-bodied and velvet smooth. If you love Australian cabernet (or shiraz), you must try this. 205245 $17.95 Score: 90/100. Best Value Red Wine
Tawse Rosé Sketches Of Niagara, Ontario
Juicy with mouth-watering flavours of raspberries and strawberries. Bone-dry and refreshing. Drink: 2012-2013. 172643 $15.95 Score: 88/100. Best Value Rosé
Gassier Rosé Sables D’azur, France
I love it! (I also just shouted that out the window to some surprised people on the sidewalk.) So very pretty with a basket of fresh field strawberries. Bask in the sun and pretend you are by the Mediterranean. Dry and refreshing. Drink: 2012-2014. 33621 $13.95 Score: 90/100. Top Rated Rosé
Château De Trinquevedel Rosé Demoulin, France
A lovely and elegant Tavel rose that’s not as robust as others I’ve tasted. That is not to say it’s wimpy. Lovely aromas of raspberries. Bone-dry and refreshing. Drink: 2012-2014. 729947 $17.95 Score: 90/100. Top Rated Rosé
Baron-Fuenté Champagne, France
An incredibly fresh and vibrant wine, especially given its age. In fact, the maturity has only imparted a depth and richness that deepens its complexity but doesn’t diminish its refreshment. Drink: 2010-2015. 155119 $51.95 Score: 91/100. Top Rated Sparkling Wine
A lovely bubbly with a hint of fresh field raspberries and a refreshing dry finish. Pair with: steamed clams, mussels. Drink: 2012-2014. 264572 $17.95 Score: 88/100. Best Value Sparkling Wine
Boeri Ribota Moscato D’asti, Italy
A lovely light fizz with aromas of clementine and honeysuckle. Perfect as an aperitif or after-dinner sipper, as well as with spicy and hot dishes. Drink: 2010-2013. 184978 $15.95 Score: 88/100. Best Value Sparkling Wine
Warre’s Port Vintage, Portugal
A lovely mature port to enjoy after dinner. Terrific complexity and nuance, and now with several decades under its belt, elegance. Drink: 207-2018. 161877 $89.95 Score: 91/100. Top Rated Dessert Wine
Gorgeous flavours of blackberries and black raspberries. Terrific dessert wine on its own, with fruit or Black Forest Cake. Drink: 2011-2016. 276840 $14.95 Score: 90/100. Best Value Dessert Wine
Posted with permission of the LCBO.
Being a true Cheapskate Wine Lover, I appreciate the Value wines you review…however, there are some rock bottom priced wines that offer very good drinking, i.e. from Portugal lately. $8 bucks!! Maybe you could watch out for those LCBC listings on your reviews also.
Thanks Elizabeth, great suggestion!
Ron, please let me know what you think, even a few brief thoughts would be great!